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Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Old School Baked Pineapple Casserole, a favorite holiday side dish in the south, made with the unlikely combination of pineapple layered with crushed Ritz crackers and shredded cheddar cheese. Somehow it works!

Baked Pineapple Casserole

We southerners sure love our pineapple dishes. From sweet to savory and everywhere in between, we enjoy it in a multitude of dishes, and this is one of the oldest. Another one of those tasty dishes that doesn't really photograph all that pretty, and, at first glance, certainly seems an unlikely and odd combination of ingredients to pair together. Like its southern sisters Watergate Salad, 5 Cup Salad, and Old Fashioned Cherry Coke Salad, it's also another one of those difficult to place recipes in a menu listing - but, indeed, it is intended to be a side dish, and not a dessert.

I mentioned this casserole over on Facebook the other day when we were chatting about pineapple, and had several requests for the recipe, so here it is! Baked Pineapple Casserole, also known as Pineapple au Gratin, is one of those old fashioned lost classics that doesn't make an appearance much anymore, though it should. It is simply a perfect side dish for roast pork or baked ham and ideal for the Easter table. You can make it with either the pineapple chunks, tidbits, or even with crushed pineapple.

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Recipe: Old Fashioned Baked Pineapple Casserole

2 (20 ounce) canspineapple chunks or tidbits, in natural juices, drained, but juices reserved from one can

1 cupgranulated sugar

2 tablespoonscornstarch

1/4 cup (1/2 stick)cold butter, divided

1-1/2 cupsshredded cheddar cheese

1-1/2 sleevescrushed Ritz crackers

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish, or spray with non-stick spray; set aside. Drain the pineapple juice into a saucepan; set aside the pineapple. Combine the sugar and cornstarch and add to the juice. Heat over medium high, stirring regularly, until sugar dissolves and forms a syrup. Set aside 1/4 cup of the syrup; stir in the pineapple. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add to the 1/4 cup syrup.

Spoon 1/2 of the pineapple and syrup mixture in the casserole dish, top that with 1/2 of the crushed Ritz crackers, half of the cheese and thinly slice 1/2 of the remaining butter over the top. Repeat layers. Drizzle the reserved butter syrup on top and bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve as a side dish with pork or ham.

Cook's Notes: Crushed pineapple may also be used, but reduce cornstarch to 1 tablespoon. Three or even four layers makes this casserole even better, so double if desired. To add some holiday color, add in a jar of well drained, maraschino cherries.

Variation: This version is really almost like a cobbler or crisp but it is also good. In a medium sized saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with a small package of pineapple flavored Jello and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add 1 cup of water (or use reserved juice plus water as needed to equal one cup) and heat over medium to medium high until mixture is smooth and has thickened. Stir in 2 cans of drained pineapple tidbits and transfer to prepared baking dish. Top with the shredded cheese, sprinkle the crushed Ritz crackers on top, melt the butter and pour all over the top.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

This recipe looks absolutely delicious, and I would love to make it for my family very soon! One quick question, Should I use pineapple in it's own juices, light syrup, or heavy syrup? Thanks for the recipe, I can't wait to try it!

I am definitely from the South and i have had my share of casseroles but I have never had nor heard of pineapple casserole. So interesting and sounds so good! Cant' wait to share this and make it for my mom and gradnmother!

I've heard of most of the old recipes that you talk about but I do believe this is a new one. Did you see my pickled pineapple post? I found it in a 1948 cookbook. It turned out delicious and was great over pork.

Hi Gary & thanks! I noticed that the packages looked smaller so I did consider that here. I would have only used one sleeve, but I increased it to one and a half sleeves. I forgot to measure the crumbs though, so I can't give the measurement till the next time I make this. I think the casserole would have been fine without the extra crumbs though to be honest.

This is one of my favorite recipes. And, I had almost forgotten about it! I'm going to be making this for Easter for sure! I don't think it really matters on the cracker crumbs. I've made it with more or less depending on what I had and it was good both ways.Take Care

I make something very similar to this every Easter, and pretty much any other time I serve a ham. The recipe I use has cubed bread in it rather than crackers, and it doesn't call for cheese... I got the recipe from a Yankee so maybe it's the Yankified version! Hmm... I just may try this version for Easter this year!

This reminds me of pineapple sandwiches -- a slice of canned pineapple with mayo between 2 pieces of white bread. My husband has lived in the South all his life but had never heard of pineapple sandwiches. Maybe it's a country thing. Delicious though, as I imagine this casserole is.

Thanks for sharing this! I had never seen this dish until I moved to Georgia and it would make an appearance at just about every church potluck. Nobody will share their recipe though, so I am glad that I now know how to make it!

Reckon I'll have to play with this a bit I rarely buy canned fruit and veggies anymore, it's either fresh, frozen or what I can myself for the most. I buy quite a bit of fresh pineapples, using a pineapple cutter I either cut it into chunks or slices, then fillet what's left on the skin and run it through my juicer. But anywho, this sounds like a great dish for Easter this coming Sunday with the folks!

There is a great book called: "The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love". It's hilarious and good for what ails a lady of a certain age----and there is an entire chapter titled "Funeral Food" in which this recipe is featured under the name of "Miss Lexie's Pineapple Casserole". (Not to say that it is an exact copy, just this southern dish in general. :) ) Ya'll should read that book and laugh your fannies off. hahahhahahah

Could you mix this up ahead of time? or something you should bake right away and kind of reheat for serving. Have to go a distance so trying to determine if i should bake first then go or bake when I get there.

OH MY LORD! Been trying for over a decade to get extended family to try new dishes at our family holiday feast on 1/1, with 9 failures so far. THIS dish was a huge hit. I found an over ripe pineapple in the downstairs fridge, remembered seeing this recipe last year, trimmed out a dark spot or two, and accidentally pureed it (food processor) into baby food. Used a strainer and just let it sit until there was enough juice to use. Mixed into the cornstarch and sugar, it looked like a marvelous pie filling! Then followed the recipe, using Townhouse crackers as we were out of Ritz. Extra tasty with a Smithfield smoked ham shank (on sale at Food Lion), green bean casserole, lobster (on sale at Lowes!) and potato casserole.

It must have been, but I wasn't there. Had a cold. Can't go near Mom, who is now in hospice care.

I really want to think about making a pie out of this pineapple filling. This recipe was a great way to use up an over-ripe pineapple with just trimming off a few grey spots. Hubby just about cusses if I put a fresh pineapple in the shopping cart, because so often it's not quite ripe, so it's refrigerated a few days, then forgotten. Found, it's too ripe to serve, and I compost them. Or we buy them, get them home and it's already over-ripe. He's convinced I buy them to feed my worm bed!

From now on, whenever there's an over-ripe pineapple, am going to create this cooked mixture and freeze it for later use.

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You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients. ~Julia Child

The classic southern plate for supper is made up of meat and three, cornbread or rolls & a tall glass of sweet iced tea.

Oftentimes what makes a recipe southern, is as much a state of mind as it is a matter of geography - Southerners simply decide a particular food is southern, and that's that." ~Rick McDaniel, Food Historian

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